Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
by yellowroses007
Summary: Deirdra Dunaway recalls how tragedy within her gang takes it's toll on her relationship with Dally and adds fuel to the fire in the war against greasers and socs. Dallas Winston/OC. Takes place during and after events. DISCLAIMER ON ALL OUTSIDERS MATERIAL AS THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO S.E. HINTON.


"You can't spend the rest of your life living behind the 'everything is ok''s, 'nothing''s, and the other lies."

Not even Aunt Karen's words made it any easier in telling the whole truth. My eyes kept to the ground with my arms folded on top of one another with one hand curled up in fist in front of my mouth. I had the right to remain silence, right? Didn't the Miranda Law I was accustomed to apply outside the courtroom and in explaining what had happened the past three months?

"Deirdra," Aunt Karen pleaded softly and with as much grace as any woman could have. "Just tell me. Please."

I thought back to what she had said to me moment earlier about living behind lies. I had overused the "everything is okay", the "nothing is wrong", and every lie I could come up with to the point where no one had the patience to keep asking. No one except Aunt Karen.

In the corner of my eye, a calendar hung on the wall showed that it was still the month of December and each of the days of December 1-December 26th had been crossed out. I had five days until a new year would begin. Did I want to carry this all with me into the new year? The rest of my life?

"Alright," I managed to speak up. Aunt Karen's brown eyes were taken back but she fixed her position in the chair. We had been sitting across from one another in the living room like that for an hour or so. I had lost count of time so I wasn't sure.

"Take your time and be honest," Aunt Karen said with a nod. I sat up straight, put both of my hands on my lap, and recounted back to the beginning. The very beginning in which was the last time my life had ever been normal before...well...before tragedy.

The beginning takes place in late September, 1966.

* * *

I wasn't one to just walk out in the middle of school like most of the other greasers I knew, but on that Thursday afternoon I skipped my last three classes and headed out the backdoor. I had left when lunch was over and everyone was trying to get to their classes so no one had seen me. I didn't tell my friends about what it was that I was doing because I didn't have the mindset to at the time and I really just wanted to be alone.

I know it was not the brightest idea - a greaser girl walking by herself. I was an easy target for any male Soc who was ditching school or for any perverted drunk male in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Any girl was. Luckily, the bus station was a block away and the bus came right away when I had arrived.

There weren't a lot of people on the bus and I made my way to the back seat so I could cry without getting looks from other passengers. The second my butt was on the seat and the bus moved, hot tears strolled down on cue and I didn't even bother wiping them. My hands clutched tightly on my books and my body heat rising and trembling.

My eyes moved toward the window and I noticed the bus was passing by the jailhouse that Dally was held in.

Dally. Dallas Winston. What could I tell you about him? For one thing, he defined what it meant to be a greaser. To be rebellious. He had a record beyond anybody's imagination. He was a free spirit but a dangerous one too. It didn't hurt to look at him, but the coldness in his dark eyes made you want to look away. He was threatening in appearance and in attitude.

He was also my boyfriend.

* * *

Dally and I shared the same group of friends (or gang as we referred to it) and had known each other since I moved to Tulsa when I was fifteen years old. He was introduced to me by Two-Bit and although I found him intimidating at first, he soon warmed up to me. A few months later I was harassed by some socs while walking to the Curtis house and the moment he stepped in, the socs ran for it.

_"From now on you don't walk alone," he told me. "I walk with you. If ain't around you get the others to walk with you. You hear me?" _

_"You could've said it nicer," I retorted back. He then grinned at me. _

_"Sweetheart, I ain't ever nice," he said getting closer. "Know that now." _

_"And know that I'm not going to be treated like the rest of those whores that follow you around."_

_"I don't walk those 'whores' anywhere nor would I ever like to. Keep that in mind."_

We had continued being friends and when I was about sixteen I had began harboring a crush on him. Suddenly those walks and our hanging out had created butterflies in my stomach and all that lovey dovey bullshit. I hated myself for it because there would be no way that Dallas Winston could love any girl, let alone a girl who wouldn't let him get in her pants just yet. The gang knew and although Steve and Two-Bit tried hinting at it to Dally just to get at me, Sodapop knew how I felt and he'd smack the two airheads for doing it.

It was this past May when one night Dally was walking me home from the Curtis house and I decided to make a move by asking him to come into my house to hang out. My parents were working late nor would they really have had a huge problem with. _  
_

"_Yea_," Dally shrugged.

We had gone inside my house and plopped on the couch and watched some stupid show. We were silent but every once in a while I noticed Dally's eyes looking to me.

"_I'm freezing my ass off so I'm gonna get a blanket_," I told him as I was about to stand up. My feet didn't even touch the ground when Dally reached out his arm and moved his entire body closer to mine.

"_Let me_," he smirked.

"_I'm not having sex with you Dally_."

"_Who the fuck said anythin' about sex? Just let me hold you. Jesus._"

I lied down on the couch and Dally followed, his body behind mine. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I swore to the holy bible I was going to die of happiness. During a pointless commercial, I switched myself so I could face him.

"_You're beautiful, you know that?_" he asked me as he tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear.

"_Thanks_," I replied bluntly. Inside, I was about to explode. Dally never called me "beautiful" before.

He then leaned in and my eyes shut as we kissed. Not going to lie, best kiss ever.

We had kissed for God knows how long until I broke it apart and I looked at him. His dark eyes weren't cold anymore - they were gentle and relaxed.

_"So what? You're gonna kiss me and this is going to mean absolutely nothing to you?" I asked. It was stupid of me, I know, but I had to ask it. The tears began forming but I kept my composure._

"_Where'd that come from?_" Dally asked completely oblivious.

_"Look, I like you. I have for awhile and it's been hard to keep because I have had no clue how to control it. I mean, c'mon, you would never in a million years feel the same way about me. You don't tie yourself down to anyone, so why would I be any different?"_

Dally smirked. _"Deirdra I know you like me. Johnny spilled the beans accidentally a couple months ago. I asked the others and they said it was true. Every of them. Why do you think I didn't fool around with any other girl after Sylvia and I broke up?"_

_"You mean to tell me you stayed single because you knew I liked you?"_

_"Because I, uh...I felt the same."_

My jaw dropped. _"Dally if you're joking, I will kill you. Swear to God I will kill you."_

Dally kept smirking at me. _"I swear on...on..."._ He looked down and held out his signature dog tags that were always around his neck. _"I swear on these dog tags that I ain't lying to you."_

I gave him a small smile when he added on,_" Will you be my girl?"_

Rolling my eyes, I sarcastically gave a sigh and replied," Oh sure. Why not? It won't kill me." Dally gave a laugh and proceeded to kiss me again.

* * *

_"I wish you weren't in jail," _I thought to myself as the bus was passing the jailhouse. Dally had gotten arrested the month before for beating the crap out of this soc that was harassing me at the drive-in. I tried pleading with the officers that it was out of defense, but with Dally having that record of his it would be a cold day in hell before the fuzz would ever believe me.

My stop eventually came and I got off the bus. I saw the DX up ahead and walked over there to talk with Sodapop and Steve.

"Well, well, well," Steve greeted as he looked up at me from waxing some car. "Hey Soda! Come see who's ding-dong ditchin' school!"

Sodapop walked out from the little store that was inside and saw me standing there. He flashed his pretty boy smile and greeted," Oooh, troublemaker!" He gave me a little side hug and Steve asked," So why'd you ditch school?"

"Too many peasants," I joked. I tried to smile but Sodapop and Steve knew. They knew very well I was lying. They were good at that.

"What's really goin' on?" Sodapop asked rubbing my back. That's when I began to bawl my eyes out. Steve dropped everything and he and Sodapop bear hugged me.

The three of us stayed like that for a good few minutes when I was able to speak. "This day," I groaned," has just been shit. First I get harassed by a soc and blamed for it. Then some bitch in my second period class decides to cheat off of me and throws me under the bus when we got caught. I studied all night for that test while she was probably screwing her soc boyfriend and I get the failing grade. Then, oh and then, my third period teacher begins asking me if I gained weight in front of the entire class."

"You see why I dropped out?" Sodapop asked with a chuckle. I laughed and Steve remarked," Look, you should get home and get some sleep. You working tonight?" I nodded. "Sodapop, Two-Bit, and I will drop by later and check in on you. "

"You guys are the best," I sniffled as they pulled me into another bear hug. "It's been rough without Dally."

"He'll be home before ya know it," Sodapop assured me.

I nodded, but in the back of my mind I had fully doubted that.

* * *

Not even the second I stepped foot in the house, I dashed to my bedroom. I threw my books off to the side and dove face first onto the pillows. The comfort of the duvet cover secured me and it's warmth caused me to start dozing off.

What felt like five seconds of blackness was actually a two hour nap. I woke up to the strangest feeling, as if something was wrapped around me. Something heavy. I felt heat pressing on the back of my neck as if someone was breathing on me.

Someone was.

I turned around and let out a scream.

"Jesus Christ," Dally grumbled as he woke up. "Warn a man next time."

Dally, dressed in a fitting black tee and jeans, lied beside me in my bed. Best part was that I was dreaming.

"Holy...how did you get out of jail?!" I cried as I pounced on him and threw my arms around him. He lied backside now and threw his arms across my body. He flashed that smirk I had missed so much.

"Good behavior," he shrugged. "Figure you'd be the first person who deserved to see me since you missed me. Cops said you tried bailing me out a couple times."

He pressed his lips to mine and those familiar tingles I had gotten each time he kissed me set in comfortably. He tasted minty. Smelled minty too.

"Please...for the...love...of God...stay out...of...jail," I breathed out in between kisses. Dally's pulled me closer and flipped me over to my back and rested his head on my chest.

"Not makin' you any promises," he sighed. "Can't anyway."

"Then next time I'm not even going to try bailing you out. I'll leave you to the rest of your jailbird scum."

"Hey - those are my friends."

"No they're not. Johnny, Two-Bit, Steve, Sodapop, Ponyboy, and sometimes Darry are. Tim Shepard on a good a day."

"You're not my friend, huh?"

"Asshole." I gave him a peck and he sat up, his chin resting on my chest.

"I leave you for a few weeks and that's all I get?" he teased.

"Unless you would like to get a job and can prove that you're able to provide for me and a child then we'll talk."

"I can get a job. Just don't want one."

"With your record? Good luck."

"Hey, you know pregnancy isn't always the outcome of sex. Some women can't even get pregnant."

"Not risking it until I know we can handle the possibilities. Just sayin'. We've talked about this."

"Kills me some days."

"Well you kill me too."

Dally smirked and kissed me one more time. Needless to say, I was relieved to have him back.

* * *

Dally and I had decided to walk around the neighborhood and head over to the Curtis house until I had to get ready for work. It was those moments that everything was perfect and more. Dally was back and he wouldn't be going anytime soon.

There was this abandoned house in the neighborhood behind where the Curtis house. Dally and I marked it our spot and I would often daydream that this would one day be our home. Fixed up, of course.

The porch was long and wrapped around the house, so we would hang out on there or go inside by letting ourselves in the broken front door. This time we opened the door and let ourselves in. Dally slide his arm around my waist as we walked around for a bit.

"I'm gonna buy you this house one day," he told me. "You wait and see."

"Oh dream big," I teased.

"Just gonna be me and you."

"No kids, huh?"

"Hate 'em."

"And you still wonder why after all this time."

He laughed and remarked," Maybe ours can be an exception."

"Dallas Winston making exceptions? Did hell freeze over already? Am I dreaming?"

He put me in a headlock and we laughed until he let go and my legs jumped, wrapping around his waist. My arms wrapped around his neck and his hands snaking my back. Our foreheads pressed together and he leaned in to kiss me when an all too familiar scream ruined the moment.

"Sounds like Ponyboy," I said jumping off and running to the window. Before I knew it, there was Ponyboy with socs around him like vultures. I watched Dally make a run for it and I followed behind.

And my life would never be the same after this.


End file.
